A Dinner Date
by Orange Bulldog
Summary: CJ and Gina Tuscano go on a dinner date. I was watching S1 and it was begging me to write it. Read and review!


Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters. If you have issues with people of the same sex loving each other, or live someplace where that's illegal (in which case, consider moving) please move on.

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Gina Tuscano sat at her desk, flipping through albums of white supremacists. It occurred to her how sad it was that they had whole albums full of them. They had a whole album of just the teenage male ones in the DC area, for that matter.

She was finding it hard to concentrate on the skinheads. CJ Craig had just left. Gina wasn't sure what was going on with CJ. The press secretary had been down to see her multiple times in the past few days. Most of the time there had been little or no reason. This last time, sure, there was a reason. She'd wanted Gina to tell her what really happened at that party. The agent hoped CJ didn't hold it against her that she couldn't do so. She seemed to understand how it would limit her ability to keep Zoey safe.

Gina's bigger problem was that she was unclear what was happening between them. Her instinct was to say nothing, of course. CJ was one of the most powerful women in America. She was the White House Press Secretary, for god's sake. Gina was a secret service agent. A secret service agent assigned to the youngest First Daughter because of her ability to blend in with college students. She still got carded for alcohol. Every time she tried to buy it. To be fair, with her job, she didn't have much time for that sort of thing. Then there was the considerable issue that she'd never heard anything about CJ's orientation. Surely if she was out she'd have heard about it. She was certainly getting a gay vibe, but if she wasn't out that raised even more issues.

Gina took a big gulp of coffee and forced the thoughts out of her brain. Nothing good could come of over-analyzing the situation. If something happened, it happened. Right now she had a job to do.

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That evening, CJ found herself heading back to the secret service area for the second time that day. She hoped Gina would still be in. She was later than she wanted to be, having been stopped by Danny on her way out of the West Wing. The man just wouldn't take no for an answer. He was convinced she was interested in him. She had to admit, she found him entertaining, interesting, and he was good at his job. But he just wasn't her type. Heading down the hallway, she saw a familiar figure come out of the door, shouldering a messenger bag. She smiled wryly at the abrupt reminder of just why she wasn't interested in Danny right now.

"Gina."

The agent turned around with a smile. "Hi CJ."

"You heading home or out to meet Zoey?"

"Amazingly, I'm off duty. You?"

"Also amazingly, I'm done as well."

"Did everything work out with that story on Zoey?" Gina asked.

"I talked the President into not beating up the reporter who ambushed you two, if that counts." She smiled as Gina's eyes widened slightly. "No, seriously, it's fine. It'll be a non-story."  
"That's good. I'm sorry I couldn't help you, it's just-"

"Gina, it's fine. I understand. I shouldn't have even put you in that position."

Gina nodded. "So, um, were you…just coming down to tell me that, or did you have other business here, on your way out?"

CJ found herself blushing slightly, and cursed it. "Well, I...yes, I was just coming down to tell you that."

Gina raised her eyebrows, then smiled at the Press Secretary. All of her previous plans to do nothing about the tension between them flew out the window as she found herself asking "Do you want to grab some dinner?"

When CJ paused momentarily before answering, Gina started backpedaling.

"No, of course you have better plans, I'm sorry, forget I asked."

"You like Chinese?" was CJ's belated response.

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Almost two hours later, the two women exited the restaurant. They'd forgone Chinese in favor of Mexican. CJ had surprised her younger companion by suggesting that they order margaritas. She had even been kind enough not to laugh when the young waiter asked Gina for her ID, though she did snicker as he slunk away after seeing that she was 29.

"It's a good thing, Gina, honestly. Someday you'll be glad you look young."

Gina shot her a look. "It's not the looking young, it's the annoyance. Plus, everyone knows how old I am. What if I want to lie about my age after I turn 30?"

"Why care if anyone knows how old you are? It doesn't make you any less attractive if people know you are 30 instead of 29."

"Do you tell people how old you are?" Gina retorted, not missing the comment about her looks.

CJ sipped the margarita that had just arrived. "I just turned 40 last month, and yes, I do. Of course, with my job it's hard to hide anything like that." She admitted with a grin.

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It turned out that the margaritas were quite strong, and they each had three during the long wait for their food. Neither had the time to drink very often, so they were both somewhat tipsy by the time they left. Not drunk, but comfortable enough for CJ to suggest that Gina accompany her home for coffee. The secret service agent jumped at the invitation.

After the obligatory tour of CJ's apartment, which she had luckily cleaned just a few days earlier, they ended up in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to brew. An uncomfortable silence fell, but was soon broken by CJ's cell phone ringing.

"I should …"

"Of course, get it." Gina knew it could be something crucial, but CJ groaned when she looked at the caller ID. She opened the phone.

"This better be important Danny." She paused, then rolled her eyes slightly. "It's almost 11, and for your information, I had dinner with someone else. Yes. See you tomorrow."

She hung up the phone with a sigh. "I think that man has a problem with his hearing."

Gina raised her eyebrows quizzically.

"He's been asking me out repeatedly, and every time I say no it seems like he hears yes." CJ explained.

"Ah. Been there. Never figured out how to deal with it either."

"Well, I have a new plan." CJ said with a smile, moving closer to Gina.

The younger woman swallowed carefully, absorbing CJ's body language. "And what would that be?" she flirted, moving even closer, so they were sharing air.

"I just told him I went on a dinner date with someone else."

Gina couldn't stand the tension any longer, so she closed the last few inches between them and captured CJ's lips. Clearly this was exactly what the older woman wanted, and she took full advantage of her three-inch height advantage to move Gina back against the counter and deepen the kiss.

CJ had just slipped her hands under Gina's shirt when the coffeemaker beeped and startled the women enough to stop their activity.

"Sorry." CJ said as she got out two coffee cups.

"Maybe I should go."

"No, wait, what? Why should you go?" CJ asked in confusion.

"We shouldn't. You're the Press Secretary."

"I thought we were past you caring what I do for a living."

"It's not that, it's other people caring. You can't hide how old you are, so how do you hide being gay?"

CJ shrugged. "I don't. And I'm not, exactly. I date men occasionally too. Apparently enough to keep speculation at bay. I haven't ever lied about it, and I don't intend to if I ever get directly asked."

Gina looked skeptical.

"What, you think I'm experimenting? Or one of those bisexuals who have sex with women in secret but only date men, right?"

"Well, maybe?" Gina asked, unsure.

"No. Not that it's really any of your business, but I've had more serious girlfriends than I have boyfriends. It just happens than none of them felt the need to talk to the press about me."

"I didn't mean to make you angry, CJ. It's just that I tend to fall fast and fall hard, and I don't think I could hide a relationship. I'm not talking about going to the press, I'm talking about going to dinner."

"Didn't we just go to dinner?"

"You know what I mean."

"I do, and no, I haven't had a girlfriend since I've worked in the White House, so I haven't had to face it yet." She admitted.

Gina leaned back against the counter. "But it's not out of the realm of possibility?"

CJ moved back towards her. "No. Believe me, I wouldn't have even gotten this far if it was. I fall pretty fast and hard too."

She brushed Gina's hair behind her ear, and the younger woman closed her eyes and leaned into the motion. CJ took that as a sign that she'd alleviated her fears for the moment, and leaned in to kiss her again.


End file.
